Gluten-free and SCD

Sugar High Friday, the Round Up

Woohoo! We made it – today’s a special day, the one we’ve all been waiting for: the Sugar High Friday round-up. (Well, there’s another reason for today being a special day but we’ll touch on that next Monday or Tuesday. ;))

The theme for January 2011 was grain-free. The challenge was to cook or bake something that was sweet and without grains. I must say that the entries we have here are outstanding! It always amazes me how easy grain-free really is and also what can be made without grains, especially in the realm of baking.

A Sin-Free Chocolate Mousse from Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes. Sometimes you find the best things in the most unlikely places: Jacqueline found this recipe in a baby cookbook, yet that doesn’t stop it from being liked by older children and adults alike! It’s also a cinch to whip up.

Kaitlin of Whisk Kid presents a Pear, Almond and Coconut Flognarde – adapted from moi! Naturally, I am both honoured and flattered by this gesture. If you’ve heard of – better yet, tasted – clafoutis you will be familiar with flognarde, which is fundamentally the same but when it is made with fruit other than cherries, it is renamed flognarde. However, this distinction does not seem to be paid much attention to, at least here in North America. Whatever the name, it is a deliciously light dessert that’s something of a cross between a custard and pudding and suitable for all seasons.

For those of who like dessert and booze, perhaps a Bailey’s cocktail in the form of macarons is up your alley? Magpie of Magpies Recipes made Bailey’s Macaron Cocktails – or Mactails, based on a recipe from Tartelette. This just reminds me of my long wanting to make macarons – I’ve read more than I could list off the top of my head for a number of years, before macarons had even become all the rage they are now.

Deanna of The Mommy Bowl made Bossk Brownies inspired from a Star Wars cookbook – who wouldn’t fall for something like this? And who wouldn’t love to eat something named after a Star Wars character? (I happened to flip through that very Star Wars cookbook sometime last summer and thus can attest to the mass appeal it would have for Stars Wars fans and non-fans alike.) They’re also refined sugar-free and vegan.

Courtney of C&C Cakery made chocolate puddle cookies with a recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks. They’re crunchy, chewy, and chocolaty – if you’re not avoiding refined sugar, these would be a treat for Valentine’s Day. From Courtney’s blog, C&C Cakery has “been making bizarre and unique cakes and treats for years in our Victoria home. Now that we’ve moved to Vancouver, we’ve decided to take our little hobby out into the world and share our tasty imagination with others.” I promise you’ll be lingering on C&C Cakery for a good while and emailing your friends – I know I was!

Melanie of The Grecian Garden made, in her words, a throwback to her grandmother’s old-fashioned butterscotch pie. With an almond flour crust, her version is also refined sugar-free with a dairy-free option. After receiving it in my inbox, I quickly bookmarked it for my to-do list. I made the filling to make butterscotch pudding and it was a hit!

Caffettiera of La Caffettiera Rosa made an Orange and Almond Cake, which she explains is a typical Jewish cake that’s eaten during Passover and from a Claudia Rodin cookbook about Middle Eastern cooking (I’m guessing it’s this one). It’s also dairy-free.

Aaron and Jen of Team Rose made this Flourless Chocolate Cake from the Bourke Street Bakery Cookbook. (A cookbook that I’d never heard of before but that I seriously want to check out now.)

Brenda of Well Fed Homestead made a GAPS Legal Pumpkin Pie. In addition to being grain-free it is also dairy-free and sugar-free. GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) is a diet similar to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), though there are some key differences between the two diets; some consider GAPS to be an enhanced form of SCD.

Last but not least, we have Almond Shortbread Balls that are sugar-free and casein-free in addition to being grain-free. These were submitted by Deb, who is not a blogger but included the recipe in her email, so I’ve included it below for those who would like to make them.

Mix almond and flax meals together in one bowl and then beat by hand, the butter and sweeteners in separate bowl. Add dry ingred. to wet and mix well before scooping onto parchment lined cookie sheet with cookie scoop, then roll into balls prior to baking at 350F x 10min.

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And that, my friends, is the conclusion of this edition of Sugar High Friday! Thank you again to all those who participated, it was a lot of fun to see so much good, inspiring food and meet new people. Thus is the beauty of the Internet and gastroblogosphere (as I fondly refer to the food blogging world).

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13 thoughts on “Sugar High Friday, the Round Up”

What a great round up! Who knew grain free could include so many tasty desserts. Everything looks delicious, but I have my eye on the orange almond cake and almond snow peaks. Bookmarking those to try soon!
This was my very first blogging event and I’m so glad I decided to join in. Thanks for hosting Zoe!

This is such a great post, Z! I am amazed by all the talented posters. It is great to discover new recipes and blogs. I heard though it is a special day for another reason, too….. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!! ;). And many more….

Thats a nice roundup indeed! Am so wanting to make a flourless chocolate cake too! Oh and don’t be wary of macarons! if I can make them any one can! I’ve had my share of macaron flops and finally found success when I used a silpat and a good heavy baking sheet with another one below it, oh and my secret weapon- a hair dryer (!!) to make sure the tops of the macarons are nice and dry :)

What a roundup! I can see the theme was a huge inspiration for a lot of talented bloggers. I have a lot of recipe ideas buzzing in my mind. And you know? I never made macaroni, as well. Time to give them a try I guess!

Thank you, everyone, for all the lovely comments! It was an honour to host this event and I’m so glad that so many of you enjoyed this theme.

@Miss Kitty, Thank you for the birthday wishes. There’ll be a post covering that event soon ;)

@Magpie, Thank you for your words of encouragement regarding macarons. I’ve read a lot about the art of making them and I feeling more confident now to take the plunge as of mastering Italian meringue. I’ll keep your hair dryer idea in mind – definitely a first for me!